The Sun's Shadow
by kittyninja321
Summary: Renowned warrior Lionblaze has three kits, and the whole Clan seems to expect them to live up to their kin's great names. But Jayfeather, ThunderClan's medicine cat, has an uneasy feeling about the runt Sunkit's destiny. Constantly faced with pressure, then disregarded because of her weakness, can young Sunkit rise like her namesake? Summary FAIL.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

An eerie wail echoed across the clearing, and the dim silhouettes of cats filled the side of the bushes nearby. In the center of the hollow, the soft moonlight glowed over a ginger she-cat and a brown tabby. The she-cat buried her face into his chest, and a sob shook her body.

A grey tom exited his den, a cracked rock. He had the green juice of herbs on his paws, and his pelt was ruffled with exhaustion. He padded over to the grieving she-cat. "Squirrelflight, is this really how you want to spend your first night as leader?"

The she-cat looked up at him, her normally leaf-green colored gaze dull. For once, she didn't even have the energy to shudder at his blind eyes, that seemed to see through her.

The tom nudged her. "You must be strong for your Clan. Choose your deputy, and I'll bring you to the Moonpool tomorrow evening."

With a heaving sigh, Squirrelflight pulled herself up, with one last longing look at the former ThunderClan leader. "Thank you, Jayfeather." she murmured. Then she looked around. The tom she wanted was sitting beside the nursery, panic in his eyes. To think this was her sister's son, but he looked so much like her.

"Lionblaze?" she called, her voice cracking.

The tom jumped, startled. He looked up. "Y-yes, Squirrelfli- I mean Squirrelstar?"

Despite her mood, a small smile twisted her lips. Even the strongest warrior worried over his mate. "I'd like you to be my deputy."

Lionblaze stood, and bowed his head. "Of course, Squirrelstar."

Another wail, this one not coming from Squirrelstar's mouth, shot through the hollow. Cats looked towards the nursery, and Jayfeather disappeared into his den, coming back out with a mouthful of herbs. He trotted past a concerned Lionblaze, into the nursery.

"Congratulations, Lionblaze." a silver tabby she-cat broke the silence. "You've become deputy _and_ a father in one night."

Squirrelstar looked at the she-cat, Ivypool. To her curiosity, the she-cat still hadn't chosen herself a mate.

Lionblaze opened his mouth to say something, when Jayfeather ducked out of the nursery.

He looked unseeingly at the Clan. "Two kits," he announced, then turned to his brother. "Lionblaze, I'm sorry." the tom mewed.

Lionblaze whirled around. "What do you mean? Is Cinderheart okay?" He whisked toward the nursery, but Jayfeather blocked him with his tail.

"No, but one of them isn't breathing. Go ahead and say your goodbye, and greet your other kits."

Lionblaze walked into the nursery, and emitted a sigh of relief when he saw Cinderheart safe, if not tired, curled around two kits. He looked around, and saw a small mass nearby. He stepped quietly over to it, and sniffed it. His last kit was a beautiful golden tabby. Feeling sorrow at their loss, he licked the small bundle, then gasped when it twitched.

"Jayfeather..." he said softly, watching as it breathed again. "Jayfeather! It's alive!"

"What?" Jayfeather bounded into the now crowded nursery, and licked the small kit some more. "Unbelievable." he shuddered, then sniffed the kit once more. "It's a she-kit."

Lionblaze's heart soared. "Sunkit." he sighed softly, then he stepped out into the clearing, although only two or three cats remained. "Three kits." he called. "Sunkit is alive!"

**How do you like it? I know, I'm already working on another two stories, but I was bored, and I'll play this one by ear, whatever that means. Keep reading!**


	2. Chapter 1

** So, our family computer is downstairs in the living room, and my family is too boring to understand the awesomeness of Warriors. I was trying to read and edit the Allegiances of the Last Hope on the iPad, since my Kindle broke (AGAIN), and they told me not to do more than one thing at a time. -_- Oh, and my keyboard is annoying sometimes, as well. Shout-out to my first three reviewers for this story: ****RandomFandom5****,**** Myra the Sark****, and ****Warriorsgirl1142.**** Thank you! **

** CHAPTER 1**

The early morning sun shone softly onto the chilly hollow. The air was damp, and all the cats knew leaf-fall was here. But ThunderClan was currently still asleep, making the most of their warm dens. One cat, however, wasn't going to sit in her den all day.

Little Sunkit, a light-colored, fluffy tabby kitten, was wide awake- and bored. She looked over to her mother, a massive grey she-cat. Cinderheart was curled around Sunkit's two siblings, who were sound asleep.

But her mother wasn't the only cat that would keep Sunkit in check. Sunkit looked over at Daisy, a light cream she-cat that, as long as Sunkit could remember (which was only two moons), had stayed in the nursery, doing nothing but bossing Sunkit and her siblings around the nursery.

Luckily, the plump she-cat was snoring softly in the corner of the nursery, her tail covering her nose. This was Sunkit's chance to go outside! She had only been out once, and she had barely gotten to see the camp before Cinderheart took her back inside.

Sunkit toddled clumsily out of her den, looking around. The air was cool, and the stone walls of the hollow loomed over Sunkit, making her flinch. She wondered if the hollow was the only part of ThunderClan territory, and if she could get out. The sun was rising higher and higher, and Sunkit knew she would have to hurry so she wouldn't get busted. She searched the camp, and found two big holes in it; a tall set of brambles surrounded one, and a cracked stone jutting out of the wall.

The rock looked less scary to Sunkit, and she started to walk over to it. She paused at a huge bush, and peeked inside, blue eyes wide. The shady den was filled with big, battle-scarred cats, their flanks rising and falling slowly. Sunkit recognized her father, the deputy. Lionblaze lay beside a light gray she-cat, who Sunkit thought was Dovewing, one of her father's close friends. At the sight of the grumpy brown tom, Dustpelt, twitching in his sleep, Sunkit backed out of the den and hurried towards the crack.

She sneezed as she got closer; there was a strong stench, like every time the medicine cat passed the nursery. Holding her breath, she padded boldly into the looming crack, straight into a big cat's paws.

"S-sorry!" she stammered, backing up quickly. She looked up to see a grey tom, who frowned with agitation.

"Kits." he snorted.

Sunkit looked into the cat's eyes, and fear shot through her. His eyes were cloudy grey, and he looked mad.

"What's wrong?" he asked irritably. When Sunkit didn't respond, he sighed and shook his head. "It's my eyes, isn't it?"

Sunkit nodded.

"I can't see you nod, you know." the tom grunted, nudging her further from his cave.

"How do you know I did?" Sunkit asked, finally gaining her voice.

"I can tell." he replied. "I'm used to it."

An idea sparked in Sunkit's brain. "Are you Jayfeather?"

Jayfeather nodded, and looked up. "Sounds like your mother's awake; you'd better hurry."

Sunkit said goodbye to Jayfeather and hurried back to the nursery, careful not to wake the big warriors in the other den.

**You know who annoys me? Stormfur! So, these cats in the Tribe are SO stupid and ungrateful, and boring and just another way to kill off an excellent cat. Stormfur was in love with Squirrelpaw, who wound up with Brambleclaw, Ashfur, then Brambleclaw again, but never him. Stormfur comes to this pathetic tribe, watches his SISTER die over a weak, selfish group of cats, then FALLS IN LOVE WITH ONE OF THEM. REALLY? What happened to Squirrelpaw, huh? Stupid stupid tribe...**


	3. Chapter 2

"Leafkit! Smokekit! Wake up!" Sunkit whined, prodding her light brown tabby sister in her ribs. Her eyes were now a brilliant green, and were filled with mischief.

"Ow!" Leafkit cried, sitting up. She looked around, confused. "Where's our mother?"

Sunkit nodded toward the nursery entrance. "She left a little while ago."

"Will you guys be quiet?" Smokekit grumbled, rolling over. When he realized Cinderheart wasn't there to scold his siblings, he sat up as well, his gray fur ruffled.

"Just be careful not to wake up _Daisy_," Sunkit growled. She rolled her eyes, and Smokekit snorted. To top it off, Leafkit looked over at the snoring she-cat and scrunched up her face. "We don't want her ratting us out."

"Should we go outside?" Leafkit suggested, standing up.

Smokekit shrugged. "If no one catches us first."

Sunkit nudged her brother. "Come on! We're four moons old! Maybe if we show Squirrelstar how brave we are, she'll give us an early apprentice ceremony!"

"_You_?" Smokekit asked, doubt in his eyes. "Sunkit, you're the same size you were two moons ago."

"That's not true!" Sunkit mewed indignantly, but she said it a little louder than she meant to. She froze as she heard Daisy stir. To her relief, however, the she-cat simply rolled over.

Leafkit brushed against her sister. "Sunkit, I know you're just as brave as any four moon old kit, but you _are_ pretty small. Leaf-bare is almost here, and I don't know what me and Smokekit would do if you got sick."

Sunkit looked to her brother for reassurance, but the gray kit just nodded. "Maybe you'll just grow really slow now, but be as big as me when you're older. Here, just let me go first. Lionblaze might let you come outside if me and Leafkit are watching you."

"Okay." Sunkit mewed doubtfully.

Smokekit looked over at Daisy once more, making sure she was sound asleep. Then, he crept quietly through the nursery, and out the door, Leafkit following. Sunkit started to follow, but her paw caught in a bramble surrounding her mother's nest, and she tumbled over the side with a yelp.

Daisy woke with a start, and looked around wildly until she found Sunkit. She picked her up by the scruff, and set her gently outside the nest. "There," she purred.

"Uh, thanks," Sunkit looked to the entrance, but Smokekit and Leafkit were gone. They left her! "Can I go outside?"

Daisy shook her head.

Sunkit whined. "But Smokekit and Leafkit did! Why can't I?"

"Oh, darling, your brother and sister are much bigger than you. If they had tripped over those brambles, they would have landed and gone on with their games. But if you had fallen, you might have snagged a claw." Daisy stared at Sunkit with sympathy in her eyes.

"That's not fair! I'm almost as big as they are!" Sunkit shouted angrily. "Why's everyone think I'm so weak?"

"What's this about weak?" Sunkit looked up to see her mother duck into the nursery. She came over and licked Sunkit's head.

"Daisy won't let me go outside with Leafkit and Smokekit!" Sunkit grumbled.

Cinderheart sat down, nodding to Daisy. "Thank you for watching them. You can go now." she turned to Sunkit. "You're not weak! You're the bravest little kit I know!"

"How?" Sunkit tilted her head.

"StarClan tried to take you when you were born, but you fought to stay alive! And size doesn't matter at all, young one. Lionblaze may be big and strong, but his sister, Hollyleaf, was just as bold as he is!"

"Really?" Sunkit asked, wide-eyed.

Cinderheart nodded. "And she died a brave cat's death. Now if you want to go outside, you can, but I don't want my little warrior to come inside with a cold."

Sunkit shook her head. "That's okay. I'll stay inside so the cold doesn't make me smaller." she said solemnly.

Daisy snorted from her nest, and Cinderheart's whiskers twitched. "Okay, brave one. Come lay down, and keep warm."

Sunkit eagerly hopped into her mother's nest, once again optimistic. She would be small _and_ strong one day, and even better than Hollyleaf.

o.o

"Sunkit, we're so sorry!" Smokekit apologized once again. "We were gonna come back for you, but Lionblaze saw us, and showed us the elders den."

"Yeah! You should have been there. Mousefur, Purdy, and Millie are great storytellers!" Leafkit purred, laying beside her sister.

The sun was slowly setting, and Sunkit was drowsy. She felt a prick of jealousy, but pushed it away. She was happy for her siblings, and besides, getting sick wouldn't help the little she-cat grow! And leaf-fall was only just ending; she had more days to play with them. She only yawned. "That's okay. Cinderheart and I played tag, all by ourselves!"

"That's right, and you two shouldn't have crept away like that. I left Daisy in charge of you, and you disobeyed her." Cinderheart scolded lightly.

"We're sorry, Cinderheart!" Smokekit and Leafkit said in unison.

"Don't let it happen again." Cinderheart ordered, then pulled them closer to her. Sunkit tried to listen to her siblings' chatter, but her eyes drooped, and sleep came with ease.

**Thank you to all my reviewers so far! And I know this chapter is boring, but there's always more to come! :D**


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